Internal-combustion engine.



v. m; LALLA. INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 15| |915.

XA' mi? Mmm/L( V. DE LALLA.

INTERNAL coNlusloN ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY l5, 1915.

1,204,958. Patented Nov. 14, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

glwvcn faz Vin/Celli Feld 2a 3513 l "Y Y VINCENT DE LALLA, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY.

INTERNAICOMBUSTION ENGINE.

Specicationvf Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 14, 1916.

Application med, May f5, 1915. Serial No. 28,380.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ViNcnNT on BALLA, a subject of the King of Italy, residing at Jersey City, in bthe county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improve-ments in Internal- (lombustion Engines, of which the following in a specification.

lt is a purpose of this invention to effect important improvements in the construe. tion of internal combustion engines of the'v reciprocating type operating on the prin ciple illustrated in the fiile l-)ftent numbered 735.964, which are necessary in order that auchan engine may he made practical.

It is essential in engines of this type that a gastight sliding fit he made between the dying piston and the piston rod. and as it is impossible under present methods to provide a packing element on the fiying piston it is a valuable attainment of my invention that a satisfactory means for this end is provided.

.Tt is another important aim of the invention to eliminate concussion in the engagement of the fiying piston and the piston head, or by engagement of the flying piston or connected parts with other elements \\hatsoe\i'er.

.\uother purpose is to provide a compressor device having a peculiar operative relation to the piston head and flying pislon. and so associated therewith as to serve as a cushion means for the flying piston.

Additional objects, advantages and features of invention will appear from the con- 4slruction, arrangement and combination of parts in one embodiment of my invention as hereinafter Set forth and shown iu the drawings. where'- Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view o1' an engine` Fig. 2 is a detail ol' a pump device associated with thrl piston rod, omitted from ["lg. l. lhg. Il is a formal showing of the engine in ser-lion :di lhe, heginning of a working .slroke at one end. Fig. 4 isa similar \ie\\' al; the conclusion oi lh(l salnr working stroke` Fig. fi illustrates (he 'fiunlioning o|` the piston head between the completion o1' (he ivm-king lstroke men-y tioned and llnbeginning ol' a scavenging stroke al lhe `saine ond o'l' the rylirnler. Vig. I' illnsirallsl llnI relation ol' lhe 'paris :il lln hegilmiirigA of .said .scavenging stroke.

'Ihrro is illusl rated an engine romprising twin eylindCrS l and lil' in roaxial opposed relation, preferably cast in one piece, although methods for forming the cylinders will readily suggest themselves to those versed in the art. The cylinders are closed by identical heads 11. the cylinders and heads being Water iacketed in a suitable manner. The cylinders are slightly en largcd at their outer parts, as at 12, to form a bypass recess for a purpose to be explained. The engine includes a crank shaft 13 of ordinary form, upon which there is fixed the flywheel 14 and timing gear 15, from which connections are extended to a valve cam 16 synchronized with the shaft. Push rods 17 of usual form are mounted on the sides of the cylinders having wipers to engage the cam for alternate reciproca- *tion of the rods, the latter being connected to the customary rocking arms 18 on respee tive cylinder heads, constructed and arranged to bear upon the spring-pressed stems of valves 19 seated in exhaust ports 20 formed in the heads from which suitable cored passages extend to the exterior in the most convenient direction. It is to be noted that t'he cam 16 is so formed and arranged as to open the valves when the crank 21. of the shaft 13 is approaching respective, opposite dead centers. and will maintain (he valves in open position during movement of the crank through an arc of something more than 180 degrees, as will appear.

The cylinder heads are coneentrieally bored. the one next the crank shaft haring a larger bore than the other. and suitable packing boxes 22 23 are provided outwardl)r of these bores. A hollow piston rod 2l is engaged through the large bore. while an ordinary piston rod 25 is engaged through the. other, lhese heingmouneeted to respec tive, ends of a firing piston 2G snugly fitted and reeiprofalile in the cylinders. 'lho ilying piston comprises tu'o circular plates 2727 eonueeled and held in rigid spaced relation hy suitable lie hulls 2H. 'lhese are so spaced that when tho living piston is al one liinil ol' its movement. the opposite plate is spared inwardly ol' llnmeeting plane oi" the cylinders. piston head lll is lled lo the cylinders` and disposed lietueen lille plaies4 ol' the llving piston. its| axial dimension living less than the .spare between the. plaies; thisl head being suilaldy apertured for passage ot' the holts` 2R therethrough. 'lhe plate 27 has the rod 211 counected thereto and is conccntrically apcrlOll turcd for the passage of a main piston god 25, engaged snugly in the hollow ro( 24 and connected to .the piston head 30. he rod 25 is connected'to the plate 27 and stops short therein, as does the rod 24 in the plate 27. i

The cylinder casting is formed with an annular inlet passage 29 therearound at its middle, and without the walls of tl e cylinder proper, a multiplicity of ports al opening therefrom through the inner wall of the casting. A piperonnection 32 for this passage is formed at one side of thev casting from which a gas pipe 33 extends to a compressor 34 comprising a pump cylinder 35 coaxial with the engine cylinders and spaced a short distance from the outer one, in vwhich a piston 36 is fitted, riperatedi by the stem 25. This compressor may be of any customary double acting pump construction, and is illustrated in a formal manner, the details of valves therefor being suliiciently well understood to require no illustration. At the intake Side suitable connection are made with a carbureter 37. The size and position of the cylinder 35 is such that maximum compression will occur therein at each end as the flying piston reaches respective limits of its movement.

4The main piston rod 25 is connected to Vthe connecting rod 38 in a suitable manner.

and this connection includes a yoke 39 fixed on the end of the rod and havingtwo laterally opening passages 40 and 41 therein, communicating with corresponding passages 40 41 in the rod 25a and opening laterally therefrom within the piston head, into which the rod is extended, as shown. A duct arm 42 Ais mounted on one side of the yoke 39 in communication with the passage 40, this arm being connected to the.

hollowr stem .43 of a piston 44 in an air pump 45 the cylinder of which -is mounted parallel to the axis of the rod 25a. The piston 44 is hollow, and provided with inlet p ts 46 in opposite faces, in which. check. valves 47 seat. Suitable valved inlets 442? are provided at each end of the cylinder of the pumpV whereby as the engine operates a cooling iuid may be forced to circulate in the piston head. Either air or water may be used 'as the cooling medium, air being contemplated in the present instance which is permittedto discharge from the passage 41 of the piston rod yoke, after leaving the piston head through the main stem.`

Any suitable ignition device may be used, spark plugs 50 being illustrated the circuits and timing of which' are well understood and are not illustrated, therefore.

The connections between the timing gear 15 and the cam 16 include simply a counter` shaft 51, having beveled gears 52 at respective ends, one meshed with the gear 15,

while the other meshes nvith a gear 53 mounted on the shaft 54 of the cam, which is carried by a` bracket 55 on the cylinder casting.

The parts being in the positions illustrated in Fig. 3 and an explosive char be; ing ignited in the upper end of the cylinder while the crank is moving to the right, the charge will act against the plate 27', which is at this time in snug engagement with the opposed faceof the` piston head. This will move the piston rhead downwardly under expansion of the charge, transmitting motion to the crank shaft through the main iston rod 25a and the connecting rod 38.

aintaining the same relative positions the piston parts are thus carried to the lower part of the lower cylinder operating on the principle suggested' in Fig. 4. At the same time the piston 36 of the compressor has been moved compressing a charge into the pipe and inlet passage or chamber 29, wherein it is maintained for a time. The ports 31 are for the moment closed by the side of the piston head. The momentum imparted to the parts then carries the piston head farther downward, independent-ly of the flying piston, which will then be checked by the high compression of the charge upon which the piston 36 is acting, 9.5 or, it may even be partly checked by such compression before and its movement slightly retarded so that relative movement of the piston head might occur before the parts reach the position shown in F ig. 4. The effect that the {iying piston is stopped without a knock and there is no abrupt engagement between the piston head and the flying piston, con'iparatively speaking, such as to cause disagreeable knocking. In this relative movement of the piston head toward the plate 27, the previously compressed charge is admitted between the piston head and, the plate 27. A charge is now exploded at the lower end of the lower cylinder, which acts upon the piston parts to reverse their movement in the same manner that they were first moved downward, the charge admitted between the piston head and the plate 27 being thus carried upwardly until the flying piston-is checked in its upward movement by the cushioning effect of the compressor 34, as described, when the relative movement of the piston head and its expansive action causes the charge -to pass into the lateral enlargement of the upper cylinder and past the plate 27 into the explosion chamber or space between the flying piston and the head of the cylinder. Then this movement of the charge is completed it is ignited and the iiying piston and piston head are in position cycle engine of the ordinary type is thus attained by, the asc of al single cylinder casting and one piston, operating as e` tandem cylinder engine.

It will be Seen that the structur s details of the engine are comparatively siniple for the attainment of the ends in View, el thoughl I do not regard the invention as `limited tothe specific construction shown.

W'hile a packing 60 is shown on the outer 4 end of the rod 24 around 'the rod 25, a. snug; fit of the two rods with each other will make the packing unnecessary, when properly lubricated. t

That is claimed:

1. In an engine of the class described, a. cylinder having a, head, being laterally enlarged adjacent said heed and having an inlet port at its inner part, a Heating pieton in the cylinder lowing a space therein o'pen ing on its periphery for communication with the space in said enlargement when the Heating piston is' at the outer limit of its movement, a. piston heed reciproceble in the Hoa-tingl piston, driven connections therewith, a reciprocating pump having a stioke Copies of this patent may be obtained for proportioned to that of the floating piston,

operative connections between the pump and lioating piston, and duct connections between pump and said inlet passage. u

2. In an engine of the class described, a cylinder having a. head, a pist-on, a oating' piston interposed betweenthe head and piston and having lost motion connection with the piston, a reciprocating piston pump having lthe saine axial direction as seid cylinder, und having a, stroke length corresponding to that of the. floating piston, rigidconnections between the floating piston and pump piston, and duct connections between the pump and cylinder opening into the hitter at a. point intermediately of' the pistons when spaced apart and at the limit of their movement away from the head.

1n testimony whereof I have aiiixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VINCENT ne LLLA,

Witnesses:

JOHN Y. Binnen, ALFRED H, FRANCFORT.

vecents each, by addressing the lloznxnissoneiof l'atents. Washington, D. C. 

